Show Concepts

Quite often I feel like Timpview's marching band lacks the sort of energy and enthusiasm that I knew at Easley. I had pondered on why this would be, and I think I've found out.

Dr. Fullmer doesn't want to have a show concept because he thinks that they are "cheesy". I agree, sometimes they definitely are. What he's missing, though, is the sort of connection that it provides with the band and the audience.

When a band doesn't have a theme, the show becomes just another concert. The band is performing three (four with percussion feature) completely different pieces, all of which have nothing to do with each other. There's no direction, no drive, no sort of progression throughout the show. This loses some of the crowd appeal, because there's nothing to peak interest and no story to follow. It also loses a lot of the band interest.

Having no show concept leaves the band without a connection with their show. There's really not much to grasp onto, nothing to bring to an emotional level, because of just that: there's no emotion. It's just music with marching. It's not a show.

When you have that handhold on the sort of style the show should be, the guide in the mood of the performance, the thing that makes it all make sense, it makes the band care. With a theme, we have something to work for to convey, we have a show to put on. Whether serious or lighthearted, the theme can make a show more enjoyable, easier to follow, and something spectacular to look at.

I think that's what Timpview's missing.